China’s air maneuvers in Taiwan drills ‘risky and provocative’: reportBy Hollie Younger / Staff writerDefense experts have analyzed the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) “Justice Mission 2025” military exercises around Taiwan last year and found that fighter jets engaged in “risky and provocative” acts, the Financial Times reported today. A Chinese J-16 fighter is pictured during the Chinese People's Liberation Army's “Justice Mission 2025” military exercises while being monitored by a Taiwanese F-16V jet in December last year. The military exercises followed a pattern of aggressive behavior that month toward Pacific neighbors, including Japan and the Philippines, the report said. The PLA’s military exercises are becoming “increasingly reckless,” Bonnie Glaser, managing director of the German Marshall Fund's Indo-Pacific program, was quoted as saying. “The next likely step in the escalation ladder is PLA aircraft operating inside Taiwan’s 12 nautical miles territorial airspace, which would further heighten the risk of an accident,” she said.

Source: Taipei Times February 10, 2026 05:36 UTC